How Not to Interview a Guest (II)

This is the second and concluding part of last week’s write up. Most of this second part centres on the exchange between Sulaiman Aledeh with contributions from Chamberlain Usoh and Maupe Ogun, co-hosts of Channels TV Sunrise Daily, and their guest Martin Onovo, former presidential candidate of the NCP (National Conscience Party).

Chamberlain had kicked the interview off by asking Onovo to proffer ideas on how Nigeria could ‘ ensure things didn’t go further south.’ The umbrella under which all of this was taking place was: ‘State Of The Economy/Revamping The Economy.’

Onovo referenced something the Central Bank of Nigeria supposedly said. The interview then took an unpleasant sparring detour featuring Maupe Ogun vs. Martin Onovo which formed the basis of the first part of this article.

Please bear in mind in this second part that the ensuing started from Maupe’s: ‘What do you make of the budget?’

Onovo: …This is an excellent question because the first concrete indication of your economic direction was the budget. The proposal was supposed to have been presented in January…because the current version that’s being looked at was just presented this January. So when you’re late, is that going to help your effectiveness and productivity?

Second, what we can do with that budget, we infer the direction… I’ve called it a budget of ruination.”

Chamberlain: ‘What does that mean?

Onovo: “Ruin. To ruin the Nigerian economy. You say the key is to borrow to fund infrastructure, you borrow nearly 40 per cent but the same budget represents only 30 per cent of capital projects: Contradiction…What could’ve been done knowing the level of waste we have in our recurrent expenditure was to cut some of that down. And transfer some of that to the capital side to pursue these same developmental projects that you’re talking about…The country as at today is owing nearly 70B-you offer to go and borrow another N2.3T. What’s the payment plan?”

Sulaiman: I’m happy that you are talking about the budget now which is a direction and it then means…’

Onovo ( cuts in): No, no, the budget is the funding of your plan. the direction comes upfront…

Sulaiman ( cuts in): ‘ That’s a direction.

‘ Onovo: “Let’s put the horse before the cart”.

Sulaiman: ‘ You also said the first concrete direction…’

Onovo: “No, the first concrete indication…”

Maupe (barges in): ‘That was what you said.’

[ Readers can please refer to the highlighted quote at the beginning). Onovo insists: “Indication.” Sulaiman: ‘Excuse me, Mr Onovo, you just said it a while ago. We can get that repeated before you leave if you want us to do that…’

Onovo: “I’ll be glad if you can do that”.

Sulaiman ( surprised): ‘ You’ll be glad if we can do that?’

Onovo: “I’ll be very glad if you do that”.

Sulaiman: Alright. Because you said the first concrete direction of this administration…’

Onovo (cuts in)…Indication of direction”.

[Onovo then goes on to talk about what he’d have done differently in the budget. He also talks about inflated figures in the last elections].

Sulaiman: ‘What stops you from going to the courts?’

Onovo: “Which courts? The same courts Ozekhome went to question the validity of the nomination of General Buhari? What happened to that case? Did General Buhari not ask the courts to sit up?”

Sulaiman: You don’t see anything good in…because if you say you have issues with the elections , why didn’t you approach the courts?’

Onovo: “I didn’t approach the courts because I knew it was going to be a waste.”

Sulaiman: ‘Then you shouldn’t speak about it because…’

Onovo: “We speak about it because we want it corrected.”

Sulaiman: How can you get it corrected?”

Onovo: “From your position, it is logically contradictory. Get it very clear. Why did we contest elections? We contested elections because we claimed that the situation was dysfunctional and needed to be remedied…”

Sulaiman: ‘How can you get it corrected?’

Onovo: You see, that’s the problem. Wait for the answer. Don’t jump in. We claimed that the situation was dysfunctional and needed to be remedied. Now we presented a plan to remedy it and we told you that critical to that plan was leadership. we said that very clearly…”

Sulaiman (cuts in): ‘Mr Onovo, how can you correct it?’

Onovo: “Correct which one?”

Sulaiman: ‘ You just said that the system is bad. that was why you didn’t…’

Onovo (cuts in): “And we said critical to that , to remedy was leadership. You’re not listening. You’re just throwing your own position. You’re not listening to me. [ Sulaiman tries to cut in]. I said critical to that is leadership, you didn’t hear that?”

Sulaiman: ‘Mr Onovo, with due respect, I’m listening to you and I’m asking you how do you correct that?’

Onovo: “How do you correct it? You get your leadership right. get your policies right. You get your values right. And you get your work programmes right.”

Sulaiman: ‘And if you don’t believe a system like the judiciary that you say you don’t believe in…’

Onovo: I said there are issues. I didn’t say I don’t believe in the judiciary. NBA has complained about the same judiciary…The CJ has said that corrupt judges need to be…”

Maupe ( cuts in): That there are issues in the judiciary doesn’t mean there are no good people in the judiciary.’ Onovo: “Exactly.” Maupe ( interrupts): Just a moment sir. Doesn’t mean that people don’t get justice in the judiciary, So when you say that you didn’t go to court…’

Onovo (cuts in): “Did you hear what General Buhari said…?

Maupe ( cuts in): ‘ I’m sorry. I think it’s very important for me to finish my question.’ ( clearly irritated). ‘ If you say that you did not go to court because of what everybody else has said about it, what it shows and I say this with all sense of responsibility, is that you don’t believe in the courts…’

[Phew. Can we move on already?].

Onovo: “That’s your interpretation. Because you have already taken a prejudiced position obviously.”

Chamberlain: Let’s get back to the budget…

[Amen] ***Onoshe, Thank you very much for exposing Maupe Ogun’s unprofessional attitude when interviewing guests opposed to Federal Government on the Sunrise Daily programme. It is high time Channels TV removed her from that morning programme to avoid further embarrassment.

Okwudili Ikejiani onikejiani02@gmail.com

***I read with astonishment at how you ridiculed Maupe Ogun, a lady I consider as one of Nigeria’s best television personality. I am terribly gutted that you will even go as far calling her an APC rep moonlighting as a Channels TV host. It’s quite unfortunate that you will be this petty in describing a fellow professional, how sad.

I watched the interview you and I was particularly miffed at how Mr Onovo, a supposedly presidential candidate who was rambling and couldn’t articulate his thoughts after he was put on the spot by Chamberlain, Maupe and Suleiman.

I would have thought that your interest should be on Mr Onovo’s explanations and his penchant for relying on rumors and hearsay in trying to discredit the present administration. But you turned a blind eye. Your article gives you away as one who has personal scores to settle with Maupe.

You’re a journalist just as Maupe is, if you had issues with how she’s gone about her job, criticizing her unnecessarily on the pages of a reputable newspaper as Thisday, doesn’t make you a better journalist neither does it make Maupe a bad one.

If I were you, I will not bother writing the part 2 of today’s article just to ridicule Maupe. By the way, I do not know Maupe, I have never met her but I like her confidence on television.

Chidi Henry Lemchi chidilemchi@yahoo. com

***Had to edit Chidi Lemchi’s letter because it was more than a third of my entire column but I made sure to retain its nature which was basically insulting. It would’ve been surprising if a letter in defence of Maupe Ogun was anything but.

I should’ve focused on Martin Onovo, a politician? My job as a TV critic makes broadcasting and broadcasters my major concern. But can you imagine if I had to call out politicians each time they said something inappropriate? I’d have to change the name of this column to AIRTIMEplus Daily (if not Hourly).

So, Mr Onovo, ‘a supposedly presidential candidate’ was ‘rambling and couldn’t articulate his thoughts’? One thing’s clear: Mr Lemchi and I watched different interviews.

By the way Mr Lemchi, ‘ thou doth protest too much’ about not knowing Maupe. O. N